Adjustable window-shade.



I. R. BARNARD.

ADJUSTABLE WINDOW SHADE. APPLICATION FILED on. 22. 1913. RENEWED APR. 19.1915.

1,177,918. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

attorneys THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, D. c.

J. R. BARNARD.

ADJUSTABLE WINDOW SHADE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 22, 1913. RENEWED APR. 19. m5.

1 1 77,9 1 8. Patented Apr. 4, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Bnventor -1Ditncsses i I attorneys 1m: COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON. u. c.

UNITED s'rnrns Parana orrion.

JAMES R. BAR'NARD, 0F DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE ADJUSTRITE COMPANY, INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A- CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ADJUSTABLE WINDOlV-SHADE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Application filed October 22, 1913, Serial No. 796,699. Renewed April 19, 1915. Serial No. 22,499.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. BARNARD, a citizen of the United Ft tes, residing at Denver, in the county of Denver and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable VVindow-Shades; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

stretched to cover the entire window if desider when in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a plaited or accordion shade in connection with rigid means for preventing yielding of the shade, when in stretched position, to air currents.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an accordion or plaited window shade with improved means for raising and lowering said shade to any desired part of the window and for unfolding it to any desired extent at any such part.

A still further object of the invention is to providean adjusting device for plaited or accordion shades which will hold the shade in any adjusted position by frictional means.

\Vith these and other objects in view the invention comprises certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein one embodiment of my invention is shown and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a horizontal section looking down through a window jamb having fitted thereto my improved shade adjuster; Fig. 2 is a vertical central section taken through Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows an enlarged side elevation of the invention; Fig. l shows an enlarged top plan view of the pulley mechanism as associated with the operating cords, adjacent parts of the shade guiding means being in section. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the invention removed from the window jamb and guides; Fig. 6 is an enlarged. fragmentary perspective view of a portion of one of the channel members with the associated weight and resilient handle.

The general aim of this invention is to provide upon the sides of the window casing channel members or similar guides be tween which is located a plaited or accordion shade which may be folded into a small space or extended to cover practically the entire window. Mounted from top to bottom of the window casing is one or more rigid rods which pass through the plaits of the shade and serve to prevent yielding of the shadeunder air pressure, and also to guide the shade in its up and down movement. The top and bottom of the shade are connected to cross bars which are mounted loosely between the guides and have connected thereto and may be suspended therein by operating cords which. pass over suitably placed pullevs from which the cords pass to a stop frictionally engaginga T- bar mounted rigid with respect to themeing and to a weight slidingly mounted upon another T-bar. In order that a more complete description of the invention may be given, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings. Referring to the drawings, particularly Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the window jambs 1 and 2 are provided with the usual window sashes and the window is made in the ordinary manner, but there is provided upon the inner faces of the jamb channel members or guides 3 and 4 which may be made of any approved material and are spaced so that their open sides face each other. From the sides 5 and 6 of the channel members 3 and 4 respectively extend T-bars 7 and 8 respectively, the purpose of which will be described hereinafter.

Extending between the guides 3 and 4 and having its edges terminating therein. is a plaited or accordion curtain or shade 9, the

nel 3 and is secured. as at 29 to the invention is applied to other openings than windows it will be entirely possible to use several of such bars.

By referring to Fig.2 it will be seen that the top or cross guide is a channel member '43 provided with a plate 16 secured to the top of the window casing, as by screws 17, this plate 16 being provided with an opening l8which registers with the corresponding opening 19 in theupper casing of the window, so that the upper end of the rod 15 may be inserted through the opening 18 until the lower end thereof will swing above the bottom sill of the window to be secured to said bottom sill. The plate 20 may le made integral with the lower end of rod 15 and have formed therewith projections 21 which act as tacks or securing means whereby the plate may be secured to the sill. Obviously, other means may be used for making the lower end of the rod 15 rigid.

From the structure thus far described, it will be apparent that if the cross bars 10 and 11 be held in spaced relation so that the shade is extended, the edges of the shade and ends of cross bars will be guided and held against displacement by the channel members or guides 3 and 4, while the rod 15 which passes through the central portion of the shade, will prevent the yielding of the shade under the action of air currents. It will likewise be seen that rod 15 will guide bars 10 and 11 in their up anddown movement, thus holding the shade against swinging and preventing the ends of bars 10 and 11 from dragging against the walls of the channels and thereby hindering the operation of the shade.

AS showing a convenient and novel means for adjusting the shade there is associated with the T -bars 7 and 8 sliding weight 22 (with its asscciated stop 44, hereinafter described) and block 23 respectively, which may be of any convenient from, and. as shown in Fig. 1 have rearwardlv extending flanges 24 and 25 respectively, which engage the head of theT-bars 7 and 8, flanges 24 sliding freely on bar 7 while flanges 25 grip the said bar 8. Secured to the weight 22 is a cord 26 which extends upwardly from the weight over pulley 27, downwardly in chanthe upper cross bar 10. Secured to weight 22 is another cord 30 which extends upwardly from the weight over'pullev 27 around the horizontal pulley 31; and along channel 43- to the eeizesi e side 9;- the rte-elsewhere it passes over pulley 32, from whence it extends downwardly in channel 4 and 1s secured as at 33 to that end of the cross bar 10' whence cord 34 extends through opening 36 formed in the upper cross bar 10 and is 58-,

cured to the lower cross bar 11 as at 37,

the cord 34 passing through theupper cross bar and the several plaits of the shade. Secured to and extending upwardly from the block 23 is a second cord 38 passing over pulley 35 and around pulley39 having vertical axis, from whence it extends across the top of the windowover 41 formed in the upper cross bar 10 and is pulley 40 and. extends, downwardly through the opening secured to the lower cross bar 11 as at 42, the

cords '34 and 38 passing through the entire shade, and being housed together with the cords 26 and 30 within the adjacent-channel members. The cords which extend across the top of the window casing are housed within the channel member 43 which may be V secured to the corresponding upperends of v the channel members 3 and 4. In this way it will be seen that the cords are housed within suitable channel members or guides and are kept out of the way.

It will be evident, fromtheforegoing, dey i;

scrintion, that the depressing of block .23 will lift lower bar 11 of the shade and a continuation of this motion will result in a it is completely folding of the shade until: folded=until bars 10 and 11 are as near each other as possibleafter which a con,-

tinuation of the depressing of block 23 will 1 simply result in a lifting or raisingof the entire shade in its folded or compact-ed form 7 until it reaches the top of the window. It willv also be apparent that a raising of the block 23 will permit bar ll'tofall and that thisfalling ofbar 11 will result in lowering the entire shade or in simply unfolding it,

according to whether weight 22 and stop 44 are so set as to allow bar 10 to drop or so as to hold it from dropping (which setting and action of weight 22 and stop 44 will be hereinafter more fully described.) then apparent that theoperation of block 23 entirely controls the movement of bar 11" and that it also controls the movement of bar 10 except as limited by weight 22 and stop 44. Conversely, 22 and stop 44 to no-extent operate or control the movement of bar 11 and that they sea-restate. and. ,ceatrel the. ne eiaeat at It is it is apparent that weight bar 10 only within the space between bar 11 and the top of the window. In other words, bar 11 being set at a certain position by block 23, bar 10 may be lowered-by raising weight 22 and stop 44unti1 the shade is completely folded on bar 11 but any further raising of the weight and stop will result in simply slacking cords 26 and 30 as the shade and bar 10 cannot pass lrelow bar 11, the position of which is fixed by block 23. And here it will be noted accordingly that the grip of flanges 25 on T-bar 8 should always be sufficient to sustain the weight of the entire curtain and bars 10 and 11. On the other hand, bar 11 being set as above described, a lowering of weight 22 and stop 44 will raise bar 10 and unfold the shade but will have no effect upon bar 11.

To illustrate the purpose and action of weight 22 and stop 44 suppose the shade folded at the bottom of the window-the shades lowest position-block 23, weight 22 and stop 44 will all be at the top of the T-bars 7 and 8their highest position. Suppose it is desired to raise the entire shade to a higher position on the window. It would be accomplished by drawing downward block 23 thus lifting bar 11 and, as the shade is already folded, the entire shade including bar 10. As bar 10 is raised cords 26 and 30 would be slacked but for weight 22 which is mounted to slide freely on T-bar 7 and as bar 10 is raised weight 22 drops,

thus keeping cords 26 and 30 taut and in proper position at all times. The weight of member 22 is simply sufiicient to take up the slack of cords 26 and 30 when bar 10 is lifted by movement of block 23. It will be apparent, therefore. that with only weight 22 to control it, bar 10 would always drop till the shade was folded. I therefore provide stop 44 with flanges engaging T-bar 7 in manner and construction similar to flanges 25 on block 23. The flanges of stop 44, however, grip T-bar 7 only sufliciently to support the weight of bar 10 and the shade 9 not including the bar 11 which is at all times supported by block 23. It is therefore apparent that the purpose of weight 22 is to keep cords 26 and 30 taut while the purpose of stop 44 is to prevent upward movement of weight 22 beyond a desired point thus preventing downward movement of bar 10 below a corresponding desired point.

It is thus apparent that the shade, either completely or partially. folded, may be moved to the top or bottom of the window or to any position between or may be unfolded to cover the entire window so that any desired portion or all of the window may be covered or shaded therebv.

While I have spoken herein of this shade as applied to a window and such will doubtless be its use in manv cases, it is quite obvious that it could also be applied over a doorway or to cover any other suitable opening, andI do not wish to be limited in this resilient handle 50 formed by the foliations 51 formed of the thin strip of suitable metal and having on each side thereof eye 52, which carries a collar 53, through which passes any one of the several cords used in the invention. Disposed below the block 50 and connected to the cord is a weight 54. It will be noted that the block 50 has the sides thereof which carry the eyes 52 bent in such a way as toconform to the shape of the T-bar 7 and it will also be apparent that by compressing the outer folds of the block 50 that the eyes 52 may be separated and the block 6' liberated from T-bar 7. to which it is normally locked by the resiliency of the foliations 51.

What I claim is z- 1. In combination, a shade plaited throughout its length adapted to fold in a compact mass or be extended, a rigid rod passing through the central portion ofthe plaited shade and lying substantially within the plane of the shade when the latter is extended, cords operativelv connected to the upper and lower ends of the shade, certain of said cords passing through the ends of the plaited shade parallel to said rigid rod, and means for holding the remaining cords taut. 2. A curtain adjusting device comprising upright guides, a plaited curtain mounted between the guides and having a bottom bar, cables connected at one end with said bar, means connected with their other; ends and engaging one guide with sufficient friction to cause these cables to support said bar and the curtain, other cables connected at one end with the upper end of the curtain, and means connected with the other end of the last-named cables and engaging the other guide with sufiicient friction to cause these cables to support the whole of said curtain except the bottom bar.

3. A shade adjusting device comprising guide members secured to the sides of the window, a flexib e expansible shade located between the guide members, a cross bar secured to the upper end of the shade. cables for supporting said bar, means frictionally engaging one of said guide members and connected with said cable for limiting their movement, a second bar secured to the lower end of the shade, cables for supporting said second-mentioned bar, and means frictionally engaging the other of said guide members and connected with said last-mentioned cables for limiting their movement.

4. A curtain adjusting device comprising guides having supports at their upper ends,

a collapsible curtain movably mounted on said guides, and bars across its ends; combined with a block frictionally engaging one guide, c'ables leading from the lower bar upward over certain supports to said block, other cables leading from the upper bar up ward over other supports, and means con nected with the last named cables and engaging the other guide with sufiicient friction to support the whole of the curtain except the lower bar. 7

5. A curtain adjusting device comprising guides having supports at their upper ends, and a collapsible curtain movably mounted on said guides combined with a block frictionally engaging one guide, a Weight slidably mounted on the other guide, cables leading from one end of the curtain upward over certain supports to said blocks, and

other cables leading from the other end of gamers said weight.

6. A curtain adjusting device comprising guides having supports at theirupp'er'ends,

the curtain upward. over other supports it and a collapsible curtain .movablvmounted on said guides; combined with a block frictionally engaging one guide, a Weight slid.- ably mounted on the other guide, a stop rictionally mounted on this guide above the weight, cable's leading; from the'lower end of the curtain upward over certain supports to said block, and other cables leading from the upper end of the curtain upward over Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of. Patents,

Washington, D. C." V 

